Week 2 is definitely bringing the heat. This one is going to burn! Here is your weekly briefing:

First, below are the listed heat times. Things were a little more challenging this week due to the double DB squat. We had to shuffle a little bit and based these off of what we anticipate you doing in the workout. There is a chance that we may have to do more shuffling if you decide you want to switch divisions (from RX to scaled or vice versa). We ask for and appreciate your flexibility!

You will also notice on the table that we have listed the number of judges needed for each heat AND are asking for plate loaders for each athlete. This gives our athletes a better advantage to hit their lifts so they can rest while weights are being changed. We will just be taking volunteers on this at the time of each heat. As a plate loader, you will be needed for the last 5ish minutes of each heat.

If for any reason you cannot attend at the time you are listed, you need to notify me (caitlin@crossfitkingfield.com) as soon as possible. We have some wiggle room in heats as far as spots go but not necessarily in equipment.

Second, REMEMBER THAT YOUR LISTED TIME IS YOUR START TIME! If you are in the 5pm heat, arrive with enough time to warm-up prior to the workout.

We have intentionally slated a good chunk of time between heats so you will all have time to warm up the clean in the main room. We have a recommended warm-up below which primarily involves mobilizing the hips and front rack position and getting your heart rate up.

In case you haven’t seen yet, here is the workout:

Open Workout 18.2

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

DB Front squatBar-facing burpee

*12 minute time cap.

Open Workout 18.2a

In the time remaining before the cap, establish a 1RM Clean.

A few quick notes on the workout:

1. DB Front Squats are hard. Do not underestimate them. From what we’ve seen, these tax your midline and front rack position far more than you may think. Find a comfortable position to hold the DBs that work for you - our recommendation is resting the back head of the DB on your shoulders while bringing the front heads together in front of your face (feels similar to a sandbag squat - you’re welcome!) - and don’t hesitate. These are one of those movements that feels worse the longer you put it off. Just pick the DBs up and start moving - you may surprise yourself with what you’re capable of.

2. Bar-facing burpees are also hard. The goal here is to keep moving! For those performing RX’d, you MUST jump the feet up and back together in the burpee as well as take off and land with two feet when crossing the bar. Remember that a bar-facing burpee starts with the burpee and ends when you land on the other side.

3. The Clean. Alright, here’s the sexy part. The part we all want to get to and perform well in. Here’s the reality - this workout has significant effect on your clean for two major reasons.

Reason 1 is time. the fast your go, the more time you have to clean but at Kingfield (as you all know) we’re not interested in crappy movement. Don’t skirt the standards just so you can get to the heavy barbell. At the same time, don’t go so slow that you don’t have time to make a lift (we’ll talk more about this in our RX vs Scaled section below).

Reason 2 is commitment. The DB front squats tax the hell out of your front rack position and your legs. We recommend starting with a weight you are very confident in hitting (likely lighter than you’re thinking right now) just to get the elbows moving fast and reset the body after the metcon. We would recommend power cleaning your first few reps just to save your legs.

Finally, start (right now) about your first THREE weights. Where you’re going to start (you are allowed to have that on the bar before the metcon starts) and where you want to go for the next few reps. Be willing to adjust on the fly, though, based on how you feel after the squats and burpees.

4. Warming up. We have a specific warm-up listed below. As we mentioned above, we’ve kept a good (but surprisingly short) time between heats for you guys to warm up the clean in your workout space. We will give you about 7 minutes to warm-up the clean and then take another 5 or so for your judge to come brief you on the movement standards for the squats and burpees.

FOR TONIGHT: PLEASE CHECK THE END OF THE HEAT TIME BEFORE YOURS AND BE IN THE ROOM AT THAT TIME. OTHERWISE YOU ARE MISSING OUT ON WARM-UP TIME.

DO NOT WARM UP CLEANS WITH WEIGHT IN THE BACK ROOM OR THE TURF ROOM. WE ARE GIVING YOU TIME TO DO THAT. It is too disruptive. Instead spend your time following the below mobilization protocol.

There will be NO DBs of the workout weight available for warm-ups as we need all of them on the floor. If you need to grab something close or KBs (24kg are 53#; 16kg are 35#; 12kg are 25#) for your warm-up. For the general warm-up, please use the back room again. The Turf Room will be closed until classes are completed. PLEASE DO NOT DISRUPT CLASS!

18.2 Warm-up

2 rounds

1:00 minute rowing or biking or jump rope1:00 minute hold the bottom of a goblet squat, work on ankles

On the third inhale, hold your breath and pick up a pair of moderate weight DBs or KBsWalk as far as you can on that inhale

Recover as long as needed between rounds. You will feel your body get warm and maybe a little tingly. Manipulating our breath here is also serving to manipulate our nervous system, which gets us a little sweaty and ready for action.

DB/KB front rack stretch - 2 rounds for quality:

Hold a moderate weight DB in one handLet it dangle as far behind your shoulder as possible, pulling your elbow up into the air and stretching your shoulder/tricep/lat; hold for 0:30-0:40 seconds

Perform 5 single-arm DB front squats on that same side

Switch sides and repeat

We believe this warm-up will take about 8-10 minutes to complete. If you need more time to mobilize, etc. budget accordingly. Once your heat is called, you will do the following:

6-7 minutes: Warm-up the clean (you will build to your first or maybe second weight;you do not need to go heavier)

5. Do I do RX'd or scaled? Here’s the truth: The weights may not seem heavy but they are. Remember this time you have TWO DBs, not one, and the midline demand is quite high. This is meant to be a fast workout, so we would recommend that you choose the weight that you can perform 10 unbroken DB front squats at, even under fatigue.

Another consideration: What are you prioritizing? If you are on the cusp of RX/scaled, there are pros and cons to both choices. Just remember that if you want to get to that barbell, you have to finish the first part. If you bite off more than you can chew with the weight, not only are you going to go slower but it’s going to make that clean infinitely harder. No matter what you choose, you’re going to get a killer metcon. If you’re still unsure, talk to a coach or your judge and see what they think.

6. It starts really fast and gets slow. Our strategy on this workout: it depends. It is shorter so you can fly like a bat outta hell and hold on for dear life. That works here - it won’t feel good, but it works. Or you can be little more conservative and move steadily, aiming to not stop moving. Again, we have a lot of transitions where you can chew up time or save it for those cleans. Remember, no matter how you approach it, you are halfway through the required reps once you reach the round of 7s! It will start to slow down considerably from that point. Know that the workout doesn’t really start until you get there and then you have to grind.

Also, don’t rush your cleans. You’ll have more time than you think. Take a few deep breaths, get that first rep under your belt and roll from there. Your judge/coach can help you with deciding on weight jumps.

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